by Mollie Millington | Oct 23, 2017 | clothes, product review
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| Mammut shorts on the move |
About a third of my wardrobe is activewear. I tend to prefer technical fabrics over cotton because I have trouble regulating my body temperature and prefer to wash things after wearing a few times to reduce my impact on the environment. As I have mentioned before, I like to trial test products a few times before I let you know what I think. Here are a few pieces I have been trying over the last few months.
The first are Mammut MTR 71 Shorts, which I found to be super versatile. I used them for marathon training, indoor cycling, dog walks, and plain old home workouts. Having the inner shorts helped prevent chafing between my thighs when I had longer runs planned. There is a small zippered pocket in the back on the waist and a key pocket on the inside front. The fabric is breathable and very stretchy due to the spandex component. The large was a little big on my thighs so I found the inner shorts would sometimes ride up. I think if I had the mediums, it would have been fine. There is also an antimicrobial treatment to the fabric to reduce odor, which means you can pack light on a camping trip without having to worry about worrying about the smell.
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| Mammut shorts and my OgiYogi hoody |
My OgiYogi hoody and leggings came to me in May. We had such a fantastic summer, I haven’t had a chance to wear these until recently. I am so sad because they are truly amazing! The leggings fit perfectly and are great at balancing my body temperature when I start sweating. I also found the print flattering event though I normally avoid horizontal stripes. The merino and bamboo hoody is super soft and warm, with a concealed zip and thumbholes (check it out in the above photos). It has pockets and a longer length torso. I do wish the zipper would open from the bottom because the longer length has to fit over my hips which it does but I don’t think it is super flattering. I guarantee I will be living in these pieces this autumn for running, spinning, and lifting. And sitting on the couch while I write blog posts.
You might not know that Hunkemoller sells more than lingerie. They recently started offering sportswear in a variety of styles (including a Blogger line). I received a black Hunkemoller top with a mesh back panel in early 2017 and have found a ton is uses for it. The front is a solid piece of black fabric with a normal crew neck. When we went to Cape Town, it was a beach cover up and a cute top to wear to the bar.
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| Breakfast on the deck before swim time |
The back really is the fun bit. In London, I use it as a layer to go to the gym over a bright sports bra. Unfortunately, this particular top isn’t available any more but there are new lines offered several times a year.
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| Ready for a night out |
If you have any questions about these pieces, leave a comment below and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Thank you to all of the brands for providing me with samples to try. All opinions are honest and my own.
by Mollie Millington | Apr 13, 2017 | clothes, fashion, product review
Yesterday on my way home from work, the Evening Standard had an article about how offices should offer showers and lockers to running and cycling commuters.
I am all about reducing stink and have been run commuting for a few months in prep for the London Marathon. I have learned the hard way that millions of microscopic bacteria are the reason why your gym clothes smell after a sweaty workout. If you wash your clothes with the wrong cycle, temperature or detergent, you will compromise the fabric, reducing its quality. Poor maintenance of the fabrics means less wicking, longer dry time and the perfect conditions for bacterial growth. If I am running a race in hot temps, I stink a lot more at the finish line if I dump water on my head than if I don’t.
Nobody wants to be ‘that guy or gal’ who has an office strung up with sweaty gym kit with a smell that permeates the canteen. Here are a few things to think about to keep the smell of victory to a minimum in the office.
Tip 1: Choose the right material
When you are buying new workout gear, avoid cotton like the plague and instead look for:
Merino wool is a natural solution to avoiding post-workout odours. Made from the wool the Merino breed of sheep, this kind of wool doesn’t itch, helps you thermoregulate and doesn’t smell due to a natural oil secreted by the sheep called lanolin. Icebreaker, Smartwool, and ashmei are all brands that work with merino wool.
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| ashmei offices in Tring |
You can also look for the Polygiene logo. It is a silver-ion treatment of the fabric before final manufacturing occurs that prevents bacterial growth. It is permanently integrated into the fabric and will not wash out. Companies such as lululemon, Ron Hill, Adidas, Poc, DaKine and Polartech are just a few examples of partner brands that use this treatment on their products.
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| Polygiene socks make stretching out in the dining room more bearable. |
Tip 2: Wash it with the right stuff
This seems like the natural thing to do but sometimes the detergent we use or the water temperature settings don’t actually kill the bacteria. Don’t use fabric softeners on your tech fabrics as this could leave a residue that will effectively take away the wicking properties. A few products you could try are:
Revive by Odo Sport is designed to keep synthetic sports kit clean, oudor-free, and functioning properly. It shields the fabric from acquiring dirt between washes and adds a fast-drying agent to help kit to dry more quickly (which will keep stink down too).
Nik Wax Basewash® effectively cleans, deodorises, inhibits the build up of body odours, accelerates drying and improves cooling efficiency of synthetic base layers. If you have wool baselayers (we’ll talk about material choice in a minute), use NikWax Wool Wash™ instead.
Mr Black’s Sport Wash is all natural and biodegradable, yet able to squash the bacteria that cause your technical kit to smell a bit funky. Their philosophy is to prolong the life of your clothes as you have invested in them (and we all know how much good kit can cost).
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| Run commute warrior! |
A final option if you want to wash your clothes is to send clothes out during the day to be laundered. Indoor cycling studio and fitness gym H2 offers this as a service with a 48 hour turn-around time, which means the sweaty clothes never make it to your office to cause any offence.
Tip 3: Use Pay As You Gym (PAYG) to shower
Perhaps your training schedule only requires you to run or cycle in once or twice a week. If your office doesn’t offer shower or lockeroom facilities, look on the PAYG website to locate an inexpensive gym facility near work where you can freshen up and change before your first meeting. Long term it might not be cost-effective, but it could also help you smell fresh for the rest of the day.
Tip 4: Run home instead
Sounds simple enough, but make exercise a priority and run home from work instead of going to the pub. That way sweaty clothes can air out in the comfort in your living room instead of your work cubicle. Of course, it is challenging to keep the motivation up over the course of a day but think about how you will feel as the endorphins start flowing after a few minutes of sweating.
If you have any other ideas on how to keep your office from smelling like a locker room, please comment below. I know Londoners can be pretty creative with this sort of thing.
Portions of this post originally appeared on the H2 Life Blog.
by thinkmarsh | Apr 13, 2017 | clothes, fashion, product review
Yesterday on my way home from work, the Evening Standard had an article about how offices should offer showers and lockers to running and cycling commuters.
I am all about reducing stink and have been run commuting for a few months in prep for the London Marathon. I have learned the hard way that millions of microscopic bacteria are the reason why your gym clothes smell after a sweaty workout. If you wash your clothes with the wrong cycle, temperature or detergent, you will compromise the fabric, reducing its quality. Poor maintenance of the fabrics means less wicking, longer dry time and the perfect conditions for bacterial growth. If I am running a race in hot temps, I stink a lot more at the finish line if I dump water on my head than if I don’t.
Nobody wants to be ‘that guy or gal’ who has an office strung up with sweaty gym kit with a smell that permeates the canteen. Here are a few things to think about to keep the smell of victory to a minimum in the office.
Tip 1: Choose the right material
When you are buying new workout gear, avoid cotton like the plague and instead look for:
Merino wool is a natural solution to avoiding post-workout odours. Made from the wool the Merino breed of sheep, this kind of wool doesn’t itch, helps you thermoregulate and doesn’t smell due to a natural oil secreted by the sheep called lanolin. Icebreaker, Smartwool, and ashmei are all brands that work with merino wool.
|
| ashmei offices in Tring |
You can also look for the Polygiene logo. It is a silver-ion treatment of the fabric before final manufacturing occurs that prevents bacterial growth. It is permanently integrated into the fabric and will not wash out. Companies such as lululemon, Ron Hill, Adidas, Poc, DaKine and Polartech are just a few examples of partner brands that use this treatment on their products.
|
| Polygiene socks make stretching out in the dining room more bearable. |
Tip 2: Wash it with the right stuff
This seems like the natural thing to do but sometimes the detergent we use or the water temperature settings don’t actually kill the bacteria. Don’t use fabric softeners on your tech fabrics as this could leave a residue that will effectively take away the wicking properties. A few products you could try are:
Revive by Odo Sport is designed to keep synthetic sports kit clean, oudor-free, and functioning properly. It shields the fabric from acquiring dirt between washes and adds a fast-drying agent to help kit to dry more quickly (which will keep stink down too).
Nik Wax Basewash® effectively cleans, deodorises, inhibits the build up of body odours, accelerates drying and improves cooling efficiency of synthetic base layers. If you have wool baselayers (we’ll talk about material choice in a minute), use NikWax Wool Wash™ instead.
Mr Black’s Sport Wash is all natural and biodegradable, yet able to squash the bacteria that cause your technical kit to smell a bit funky. Their philosophy is to prolong the life of your clothes as you have invested in them (and we all know how much good kit can cost).
|
| Run commute warrior! |
A final option if you want to wash your clothes is to send clothes out during the day to be laundered. Indoor cycling studio and fitness gym H2 offers this as a service with a 48 hour turn-around time, which means the sweaty clothes never make it to your office to cause any offence.
Tip 3: Use Pay As You Gym (PAYG) to shower
Perhaps your training schedule only requires you to run or cycle in once or twice a week. If your office doesn’t offer shower or lockeroom facilities, look on the PAYG website to locate an inexpensive gym facility near work where you can freshen up and change before your first meeting. Long term it might not be cost-effective, but it could also help you smell fresh for the rest of the day.
Tip 4: Run home instead
Sounds simple enough, but make exercise a priority and run home from work instead of going to the pub. That way sweaty clothes can air out in the comfort in your living room instead of your work cubicle. Of course, it is challenging to keep the motivation up over the course of a day but think about how you will feel as the endorphins start flowing after a few minutes of sweating.
If you have any other ideas on how to keep your office from smelling like a locker room, please comment below. I know Londoners can be pretty creative with this sort of thing.
Portions of this post originally appeared on the H2 Life Blog.
by Mollie Millington | Jan 28, 2017 | clothes, product review, recovery, running
I cannot believe how chilly is has been the last two weeks in London! Don’t get me wrong, I love winter and have all the right kit to stay warm, but in the 6 years I have lived in London I don’t remember it ever being so cold for so long. While I was home in New York for Thanksgiving, I saw warm sports kit (merino wool, thermal, fleece lined) in all the shops, but I knew (or so I thought) that it would never be cold enough in London to wear it more than once or twice a year.
It was fortuitous that
SKINS Compression got in touch soon after and offered for me to test out their compression kit. I chose the A400 line because it features Adaptive Technology that helps regulate body temps. This seemed like a good compromise as London often has cool/windy weather, rather than hot or cold extremes. The leggings feature 360 degree reflectivity and have a pocket in the back of the waistband.
The A400 long sleeve top has similar features to the leggings, such as 360 degre reflectivity, moisture wicking, and dynamic gradiant compression. The other unique feature is silicone gripper on the hem of the top which keeps it in place as you run, bend, or stretch, meaning you don’t need to worry about flashing some skin but rather focus on your workout.
I have worn the A400’s on long runs, trail runs, parkrun, and a, eight mile run commute. I never felt too warm or too cold on my run, which was amazing to think how versitile . The compression is supposed to help with blood circulation and recovery. (
You can read more about compression technology here.) Obviously, the only downside to compression gear is how tight it is. You need to be confident in your body shape as SKINS leave nothing to the imagination. Every curve gets a form fitting hug.
The other tips I have for staying warm are wearing light-weight running gloves. This is something I always do to help my hands from developing more severe eczema. I have a pair of
sport E-Gloves that I really like to wearing when running. They don’t get sweaty or damp, even on long runs, meaning my hands don’t get cold. They also dry quickly so I can wear them a few hours later.
As you will see in my photos here and on Instagram, I am always wearing a snood in the winter. For some reason, as soon as I step outside in weather that is a bit cool, my nose runs. In the summer, I think I have allergies too which also cause excess mucus production. So I wear a snood in the winter to easily wipe my nose (don’t worry, I wash it regularly). It also helps warm you breathe when it is so cold outside, your nose hair freezes. You can bring the snood over your face and breathe in air that is warmed by your body temp first.
Finally, I wear a lightweight handband to cover my ears when it is really cold. It is also a bright High-Vis color to help me be seen. I would advise accessorizing with lights and reflective wear too if running in low light conditions. Yes, the clothes have 360 degree reflective bits but you want to ensure that all traffic and cyclists definitely see you coming.
I am so happy to say that SKINS is offering my readers a 20% discount using the promo code PTMOLLIE-SKINS20 on all full-priced items. Offer expires 31st January so head on over and pick up some kit today to beat the winter blues.
Thanks to SKINS for gifting me the A400 top and leggings. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.
by thinkmarsh | Jan 28, 2017 | clothes, product review, recovery, running
I cannot believe how chilly is has been the last two weeks in London! Don’t get me wrong, I love winter and have all the right kit to stay warm, but in the 6 years I have lived in London I don’t remember it ever being so cold for so long. While I was home in New York for Thanksgiving, I saw warm sports kit (merino wool, thermal, fleece lined) in all the shops, but I knew (or so I thought) that it would never be cold enough in London to wear it more than once or twice a year.
It was fortuitous that
SKINS Compression got in touch soon after and offered for me to test out their compression kit. I chose the A400 line because it features Adaptive Technology that helps regulate body temps. This seemed like a good compromise as London often has cool/windy weather, rather than hot or cold extremes. The leggings feature 360 degree reflectivity and have a pocket in the back of the waistband.
The A400 long sleeve top has similar features to the leggings, such as 360 degre reflectivity, moisture wicking, and dynamic gradiant compression. The other unique feature is silicone gripper on the hem of the top which keeps it in place as you run, bend, or stretch, meaning you don’t need to worry about flashing some skin but rather focus on your workout.
I have worn the A400’s on long runs, trail runs, parkrun, and a, eight mile run commute. I never felt too warm or too cold on my run, which was amazing to think how versitile . The compression is supposed to help with blood circulation and recovery. (
You can read more about compression technology here.) Obviously, the only downside to compression gear is how tight it is. You need to be confident in your body shape as SKINS leave nothing to the imagination. Every curve gets a form fitting hug.
The other tips I have for staying warm are wearing light-weight running gloves. This is something I always do to help my hands from developing more severe eczema. I have a pair of
sport E-Gloves that I really like to wearing when running. They don’t get sweaty or damp, even on long runs, meaning my hands don’t get cold. They also dry quickly so I can wear them a few hours later.
As you will see in my photos here and on Instagram, I am always wearing a snood in the winter. For some reason, as soon as I step outside in weather that is a bit cool, my nose runs. In the summer, I think I have allergies too which also cause excess mucus production. So I wear a snood in the winter to easily wipe my nose (don’t worry, I wash it regularly). It also helps warm you breathe when it is so cold outside, your nose hair freezes. You can bring the snood over your face and breathe in air that is warmed by your body temp first.
Finally, I wear a lightweight handband to cover my ears when it is really cold. It is also a bright High-Vis color to help me be seen. I would advise accessorizing with lights and reflective wear too if running in low light conditions. Yes, the clothes have 360 degree reflective bits but you want to ensure that all traffic and cyclists definitely see you coming.
I am so happy to say that SKINS is offering my readers a 20% discount using the promo code PTMOLLIE-SKINS20 on all full-priced items. Offer expires 31st January so head on over and pick up some kit today to beat the winter blues.
Thanks to SKINS for gifting me the A400 top and leggings. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.
by thinkmarsh | Oct 25, 2016 | clothes, fashion, product review
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| Motivation Quarter Zip on the Nile |
The North Face (TNF) has long been a favourite brand of mine. I have 3/4 zip shirts that are 5+ years old and they don’t show much wear. I also prefer TNF backpacks for my daily commute as they have great internal organisation and are once again, built to last.
In the spring, Blacks gave me a few pieces from the new TNF Mountain Athletics line. As I wrote previously (link) I practically lived in the Motivation Quarter zip while I was in Cairo and Instanbul. The fabric was light enough to carry in my purse but also kept me warm on the warm and once the sun went down. It didn’t even start to smell after a few wears. We recently spent a love weekend in ache Alsacian region of France for a wedding, where the top was a staple in the misty weather during the day and the chilly evenings at night.
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| Love these pretty leggings! |
The warm spring and summer meant that I haven’t been able to wear the Pulse leggings very much to exercise in. They are very comfortable and the print is flattering on my body type (although I would like a thicker elastic waistband but that is my personal preference). The only thing missing is a pocket to keep a few essentials in. Perhaps if you were running up a mountain, you’d have a bag with you anyways.
The Play Hard vest (aka tank top in America) is soft material with a loose cut, which I prefer as opposed to skin tight kit. I wore the tank in Fierce Grace yYoga and completely soaked it through. I also wore it on a photo shoot with Will Patrick and am quite happy with the results. I love the bold design too which inspires me to be bold when out training in the mountains.
These pieces are really versatile and can be used in the gym, out for a run, at yoga, and of course when you are exploring the great outdoors. Check out the full Mountain Athletics women’s range offered at Black’s here (and here for the men’s). These pieces are perfect for autumnal training as the leggings and layers will help you tackle a rang of temps throughout the day.
Black’s kindly gifted me these pieces. All opinions are honest and my own.
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